Member, City Council, District 5
November 3, 2026 · San Jose city, California · City · runoff
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: Low · 9 out of 100
This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 990,138 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(3,857,263 ÷ 990,138) ÷ ln(3,857,263 ÷ 3) = 9.67, comparing cities and towns in CA (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
Low representation + unknown decisiveness → Below average vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
City Council Member is responsible for:
- Passing city laws, called ordinances
- Approving the city budget
- Overseeing city departments and services
- Representing residents' concerns at city hall
Affected Areas: Environment and Public Health, Government Efficiency, Government Spending Reduction, Public Safety and Crime Control, Housing Affordability, Social Programs and Welfare, Civil Rights, Public Infrastructure
Candidates
Nora Campos
Nonpartisan · declared
Nora Campos is a former San Jose City Councilmember (District 5, 2001-2010) and former California State Assemblymember (2010-2016), where she served as Assembly Speaker pro tempore, now seeking her old council seat in the November 2026 runoff against incumbent Peter Ortiz. Raised in East San Jose, she graduated from Overfelt High School and San Francisco State University, and focused her council tenure on youth opportunity and enforcement of labor laws.
Records: Civil Rights 2 for, Environment and Public Health 1 for, Housing Affordability 1 for, Public Safety and Crime Control 1 for, Social Programs and Welfare 2 for
Peter Ortiz
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · declared
Peter Ortiz has represented East San Jose's District 5 on the San Jose City Council since 2023 and is seeking re-election in the November 2026 runoff against former councilmember Nora Campos after leading the June primary with about 45%. Raised by a single mother in East San Jose, he became the youngest-ever trustee of the Mount Pleasant School District board at 26 and later served on the Santa Clara County Board of Education, where he worked on ending the school-to-prison pipeline and expanding ethnic studies.
Records: Civil Rights 3 for, Government Efficiency 1 for, Housing Affordability 2 for, Public Infrastructure 1 for, Public Safety and Crime Control 2 for, Social Programs and Welfare 1 for
Election sources
Source: sanjoseca.gov
Source: sanjosespotlight.com